Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will appear on November’s ballot in the Garden State, Save Jerseyans.
On Tuesday, a state administrative law judge ruled that the state’s “Sore Loser Law” – which bars candidates from running after failing in a primary bid – was inapplicable to RJK Jr.’s own campaign since the independent Democray never filed to run in the June Democrat primary.
The complainant’s “interpretation of the sore loser law is overbroad and would require clear evidence to determine that the speeches, raising of campaign funds, and publishing of press releases – all activities conducted nationwide and not for the specific benefit of New Jersey democratic primary election votes – established respondents as primary elections candidates in New Jersey,” explained Administrative Law Judge Ernest Bongiovanni.
“Although Kennedy received a very small number of write-ins during the Democrat primary, there was absolutely no evidence that those votes were sought by him of any effort of the Kennedy campaign,” the judge added.
You can click here to read the full decision.
It’s unclear what, if any, impact his inclusion will have in the general. There hasn’t been much polling of reliably blue New Jersey (which hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential nominee since 1988). Back in April, Emerson found Trump leading then-Democrat nominee Joe Biden by 5-points (41% to 36%) with Kennedy pulling 8% support.
